JAFFA, Israel – A Saudi columnist sparked controversy when he accused his compatriots of ignoring women’s “illustrious role” in Muslim history and relegating them to the status of a “coal bag.”

Abdullah Khayat wrote in Okaz newspaper that women are completely excluded from the public scene, and that 95 percent of the human capital in the kingdom is inefficient.

Khayat’s use of the phrase “coal bag” was particularly controversial, as social media critics believed it referred to Saudi women’s traditional black garb.

Under the hashtag #Okaz_thinks_women_are_coal_bags, Twitter user Khaled called on Saudi women: “Your pure hijab is a signal of your piety and purity and modesty. Whoever tells you otherwise is a pimp.”